Dreams
by FallenCrimsonStar
Summary: Sometimes things that are lost have a way of returning to us; dreams that have shattered, and even old friends once thought dead. Given a chance to grasp his dreams, Itachi agrees to leave his prison cell and aid Konoha one last time. *post-war* AUish.
1. For the Lonely

**A/N: Hiya!  
While waiting impatiently for my ItaSaku muse to return so I can finish 'Torn In Two', this story has instead drawn its attention. I'll get back to the former after the new year, but for now, it's all about 'Dreams'. I've been in love with this story for a while now, so it feels good to finally get it started. Enjoy! ^_^ **

…

– Chapter 1 –  
.:. For the Lonely .:.

…

_Sasuke,  
I wish you were here. I'm sorry I have nothing new to say except that. I dream about you sometimes, about when we were kids and you actually knew how to smile like you meant it. There were so many times I would just watch you while you trained and wonder what you'd become. With the last Shinobi war on my mind, I made a promise to myself that I would spare you that pain.  
But as you know, the fates had other ideas. Our clan, having decided to forgo the will of fire, made their plans to take over Konoha.  
I often wonder now, what would have happened had I just attacked them until they submitted not to take on the leaf. I look back and wonder if maybe you would still be alive if I'd taken a different path.  
But then I remember how eager Danzou was to rid the world of our clan; he would have tried eventually. Did that excuse me? I don't think so. My regret runs deep, deeper than anyone knows – except perhaps the Hokage. And that story, the path to my freedom that is so strangely coveted by Lady Tsunade, is something I want to share with you. The darkness is only a conduit, and with your help, I'll find my light. I think I understand that now.  
But people fear what they do not understand; locked away in their delusions of reality, what other path can they possibly take but their own? Please tell me what I'm supposed to do now…  
Itachi._

–

He had spent the last six months dwelling on where he'd gone wrong, but more than anything, just wishing he could do it all over again. He would go back, save them, save himself and save Sasuke from the darkness. He would save everyone. But that was the bitch about hindsight: it taunted and tormented, but in the end was as useful as genjutsu training before a taijutsu only sparring lesson.

He always prepared himself for everything he needed to do with forethought and contemplation; right now, he had all the time in the world to contemplate his situation. Itachi Uchiha was left with nothing but regret and hindsight. Currently, he was sitting cross legged on the floor of his cell in the Konoha Maximum Security Prison, a chakra sealing jutsu on his wrists and a pen in his hand as he wrote his letter. He'd been writing them every day since his incarceration, each one an outpouring of the things he'd never said, the hopes he'd never shared and the dreams he had not been able to accomplish.

Sasuke would've appreciated that.

He had a sneaky suspicion it was keeping him somewhat sane.

There were shards of light reflecting against the burnished walls and he found a sort of strange contentment knowing the sun was bright today. He wouldn't see it until tomorrow unless there was more work needed, but he didn't mind.

Itachi knew, despite his acceptance of his fate, that he would soon leave this place anyway. The Hokage's efforts would never be in vain. She had fought for him. And he remembered it clearly.

–

"_You can't be serious Lady Tsunade!"_

_Itachi was sitting in the middle of a courtroom inside the Interrogation Core. Apparently, he was too dangerous to move unless heading to his execution._

"_I am very serious Namuna," the blonde Hokage stated evenly, glancing around the oval room at the councillors positioned in the bleachers, glaring down at the last Uchiha before settling her brown eyes on the woman who had shrieked at her. "I will not sign the documents to have Itachi Uchiha executed."_

_The councillors and ninja clan leaders were peering at her, some infuriated, some intrigued and one bored: Shikaku Nara._

"_He's dangerous," Namuna said scathingly, narrowing her dark eyes at the Hokage and acting as though Itachi Uchiha wasn't tied to a chair in the middle of the room and listening to every word. "All Uchiha are a threat to this village! The third and his predecessors sacrificed to make sure that pathetic excuse for a clan never held the village in their greedy claws. You are putting us all at risk and for what, to spare the life of a man who would not hesitate to kill every single one of us?'_

_Tsunade let her gaze fall on Itachi. He wasn't glaring at Namuna, nor the councillors who were echoing her words. He seemed so apart from what was going on. She had pleaded with him before to defend himself, to offer up some sort of resolution: after all, his genius was legendary. But Sasuke's death had silenced his dreams. He did not care to save himself. He did not care to look beyond the moment, and she knew – he __wanted__ to die. But for some reason, she couldn't let him give up. They had lost so much since the inception of the war, and on the brink of the collapse of the fighting, and now that there was peace, and the Akatsuki were being hunted appropriately, the Hokage wanted Itachi to dream again. She wanted him to live for himself this time._

_But his expressionless face, that knowing stare and his handsome features… he would not hope to dream again. She sighed deeply. _

'_I will save you Itachi Uchiha, whether you like it or not.__'_

"_The fact still remains," Tsunade said, tearing her eyes away from the silent Uchiha, "that in times past, the power of the Sharingan __has__ saved this village. As the last Uchiha alive, Itachi has the right to claim sanctuary to restore the line."_

"_We don't __need__ the Uchiha line restored," Namuna sneered._

"_You mean __you__ don't," Tsunade corrected her. "I am addressing these concerns to all the council, not just you, Namuna. I am well aware of your bitter distaste toward the Uchiha clan, but this is not about you. It is about the letter of the law, the right to reviving a clan that is in decline. And the law is very clear about this."_

"_We know the law you speak of," a man named Tetsuo said. "But Itachi Uchiha is a known killer. We can't just let him off. You as a ninja should recognise how this will make us look to other nations: so weak that we would let cold blooded killers walk all over us."_

"_It has already been stated before this council that Itachi Uchiha was under orders," Tsunade snarled. "So the cold blooded killer comment is unnecessary. He never came back to destroy the village personally. And might I remind you of two points – one: he gave himself up willingly, which should be taken into account, and two: this is a ninja issue, so the absence of the elders leaves this in my hands. The clan leaders are divided on this, so the execution of Itachi Uchiha will happen over my dead body."_

"_Yet he still needs to be punished," __Tsume Inuzuka said, baring her teeth._

"_Imprisonment then," Inoichi Yamanaka said. "I see no more point to holding him without trial, and there's no protocol here to delve into his mind, since he has nothing left to offer us, willingly or not."_

_Tsunade sighed. It was the best she was going to accomplish with this one meeting, but there would be more, and she was determined not to let the councillors or clan heads leave him there to rot._

_The Hokage locked eyes with the dispirited Uchiha and he understood: this wasn't over._

–

So long ago, and yet so vividly imprinted on his mind.

He had no doubt that Lady Tsunade had fought tooth and nail to keep him alive, and was fighting even now to lessen his sentence. She had promised him he wouldn't be imprisoned for long, but the definition of that term was subject to interpretation. Really, he didn't mind. He had no plans for the future beyond the next letter, the next meal, and the next time he would be allowed into the yard to stretch his legs. He was allowed to join the other prisoners when they were taken to the yard, and had a measure of relative freedom even when breaking rocks.

He ignored the stares from his fellow inmates, didn't converse unless absolutely necessary, and kept his head down. On his loneliest days, his desire to keep fit, kept him vaguely sane, and he worked out within the confines of his one man cell – there was nothing else to do anyway. Kakashi had visited him, and offered up some reading material, but Itachi hadn't read Icha Icha for years and wasn't remotely interested in it now. He took the books however, as it wasn't in his nature to refuse an offer from an old friend.

And other than Tsunade, Kakashi was his _only_ visitor (his guards didn't count, of course). The Hokage had visited twice in the last six months and he understood she was busy, trying to save him. Kakashi told him all about it – she wasn't going to let this go. She had lost her surrogate daughter, renowned medical specialist Sakura Haruno, as well as Shizune Kato and an array of ninja within the ranks she'd grown fond of. She didn't know Itachi very well, but she was determined not to lose anyone else.

And yet, still anticipating this possible scenario, it was still surprising to the last Uchiha when, six months, two weeks, four days, twelve hours and thirty-two minutes from the moment he was first incarcerated, that he received his third visitor. He hadn't expected Naruto Uzumaki would want anything to do with him, because of Sasuke – Kakashi had stated that the blonde was still in mourning for his lost team mates. And sure enough, the last jinchuriki wasn't the happy, bouncing blonde he used to be. He didn't snarl at Itachi as he came into view, peering through the bars at the man as he caught his attention. It was a few moments before the Uchiha realised Naruto had not come alone, and he looked past him to Kakashi, Tsunade, and several ANBU.

Itachi remained silent, waiting to be addressed.

"We need your help," Kakashi said.

Itachi inclined his head as though to ask, "with what?"

"Team Kakashi will be leaving Konoha soon," Tsunade said. "And you'll be helping them in their search for an old friend. We've received some disturbing intelligence, and in return for you helping us, the council and clan leaders will all vote to have you released with a full pardon."

Itachi mulled it over for a full two seconds and then nodded his head slowly. He wanted to ask what had happened, but his instinct was to shut up and do as he was told, even after years of not being under the authority of the Hokage. He moved his eyes from one blonde to another, settling on the younger of the two, and Naruto grimaced, like he was trying to smile but had forgotten how to. "As it turns out, Sakura-chan is still out there somewhere," he said, his voice hoarse as though from lack of use. "And your Akatsuki buddies know where."

X X X

**A/N: Don't worry it gets better. I have a habit of making Itachi suffer in ItaSaku fics… I'm trying to break that habit, I swear. ;) So… this is the part where I say REVIEW, REVIEW! So yeah, review! n_n **

**R&R.**

A quick poll:

If you could permanently revive any Naruto character in canon, who would it be?

A) Minato

B) Kushina

C) Itachi

D) Other ‒ who?


	2. In Preparation

**A/N: Hiya!  
With the revelations in canon, I decided to mirror something Kishimoto has put in, so if anyone's not up on the manga, I apologise on the spoiler in this chapter. But despite that, I have fiddled with the timeline anyway – I always do. For example: Itachi and Sasuke never had their "final" fight, but more on that later. Enjoy! ^_^ **

…

– Chapter 2 –  
.:. In Preparation .:.

…

_Sasuke,  
The fact that I am no longer clapped in irons or behind chakra enhanced bars has somehow spread to the general population. I'm not sure who did it, as all Lady Tsunade had said about it was that the culprit would be on lavatory cleaning duties for the rest of the month. It is interesting to know her method of punishment is as unimaginative as ever.  
I found a small book in the back of your old closet about six weeks before Pein destroyed Konoha. I often wondered whether you'd kept that foolish diary of yours or just lost it. By the faded, torn, and worn look, I'd have to say you re-read it a lot over the years.  
Don't worry, I didn't read it; I put it back. But a part of me wishes I'd saved it at least, since Pein's __Shinra Tensei__ has seen to it that you'll never read it again. I only mention it now because I've decided to start a separate journal, now that I've agreed to go on this mission. It's nothing personal, just a detailed account of everything we will be doing.  
I suppose someone somewhere will want to read it eventually, considering it will end up containing information gathered from Akatsuki sources. The group is gone, but I don't feel as happy about that as I'd thought I would. It had been filled with murderers, psychos, and personalities so wide and varied that I often wonder how I came out of there as apathetic as when I'd gone in, but on some level, I miss it. No matter what else it had done, it had given me purpose.  
And now my purpose is to find Sakura Haruno.  
You remember her. I remember that pink hair, who wouldn't? And when I search my memories of my time in Konoha before that… night… I can still remember her. She didn't deserve what was done to her, any more than you did. I only hope she really is alive; that way someone will benefit from this. I need to find her alive. I have to. The Hokage told me about the day she went missing, and who took her, and why.  
It was Obito Uchiha. That old friend of Kakashi's. And the man had grown worse than even Orochimaru.  
Itachi._

–

He'd been allowed respite, a way to organize his thoughts into neat and tidy groups so he could analyse them without straining his mind. But Itachi Uchiha rarely found himself in a position where he couldn't think his way out of it. The day he'd surrendered himself to the Hokage's mercy had been the beginning of him throwing away his plans; now that he finally had something to work toward again, he was picking up where he left with ease. It was as simple to him as breathing.

Not that his plans always turned out as he'd anticipated – his continued existence was proof of that ‒ but between his own knowledge of Akatsuki workings and the Hokage's spies, he knew which direction to go in his search for his otouto's former team mate. There were a number of places Obito could've taken her that he knew of, so it was at least a place to start.

"You still with me Uchiha-san?"

Itachi looked up into the dark eyes of Lady Tsunade as the nurse to his right paused in the middle of his check-up. The Hokage had a wry smile on her face, but he knew she was a lot happier than that façade. She'd brightened considerably since he agreed to help – the possibility of seeing her surrogate daughter again was definitely behind it, but he'd like to think she was happy for him as well. Funny how that made him feel a little happier himself.

Itachi nodded without speaking. His mind didn't want to focus, instead drifting away from the nurse who had now returned to her work and toward the future. He figured it would take a few days to get to the first base, but what was left of the now disbanded Akatsuki knew of these places. Being hunted by every nation, there was a high probability that any number of them could be hiding out at these bunkers.

Itachi sighed, slightly annoyed as the cold hands of the nurse gave him goose bumps. But, he did what he was told, inhaling, exhaling, and stretching on command. He was never one to disobey a direct order, and the Hokage _had_ ordered him to do this but still, Itachi wasn't happy with the poking and prodding he was receiving from the string of medics who had come into his room over the past few hours. They hadn't bothered to fuss over him before now, and the last time someone had touched him without intent to harm, it had been on the battlefield. Lady Tsunade had charged in there, given that Naruto was busy trying to chase down the nearby, maddened and looking for something to take it out on. But when she saw the former Uchiha heir, her anger seemed to lose its fuel and instead, she saved him.

She still wouldn't tell him why.

"We're done here," Tsunade told the nurse, who left respectfully. She watched Itachi. "You can speak you know; it's not taboo."

Itachi gave her a small smile. "I am aware, Lady Tsunade."

"Yeah, yeah, you're the silent type. Well, your vitals are strong, every examination has shown you're in top physical form – you're now officially cleared for the mission. But your position on the squad is as an observer only – you will engage in combat only when your taichou deems it necessary, or if there's no other choice, given that you'll more than likely encounter former Akatsuki members and they won't be happy to see you."

He nodded. "And what of‒"

"Kakashi is taking care of that."

Again, he nodded. They would be leaving in the morning, and he needed to conserve his strength. Itachi did as he was told and rested back on the hospital bed. This was going to be a long journey, no matter how he looked at it.

… …

… …

Kakashi had always liked this training ground – the sun stripped the top of the trees of any advantage for an ambush at its highest peak, its rise and the half an hour before it set. After the war, he'd dragged Naruto and Sai here (mostly the former since the latter spent so much time with his former Root comrades on their rehabilitation) just to keep them all occupied. It was a place that was heavy in the memory of both Sakura and Yamato, but despite the obvious melancholy, it was also inspiring. Naruto for one saw it as something to take his frustrations out on. They'd lost Sasuke to darkness shortly after Sakura's disappearance, and Yamato had been amongst the presumed dead. After the war, the bodies of most Shinobi who'd died were never recovered. It made Kakashi think of Obito, and his guilt compounded.

"Kakashi-Senpai!"

He managed a smile as he approached the former Root member ‒ he was working on his katas, but stopped at his taichou's arrival. "Yo Sai, how've you been?"

"Busy."

"I imagine so."

"I finally got some time to train and Naruto's late getting here – I thought you were on a mission?"

Kakashi was surprised. He hadn't heard Sai call Naruto by his name for a long time. "No," he said. "But that's why I'm here."

"Is this another request to join you on one of your endeavours regarding the opposite sex?"

"When did I do that?"

"Last week."

Kakashi remembered asking him how things were going with Ino Yamanaka, but hadn't mentioned anything about himself. "No I didn't."

"You wanted to know if I thought Kurenai-san was ready to move on after Asuma-Senpai."

"No I didn't."

Sai frowned.

"Well anyway," Kakashi said, mentally waving that away. "I suppose you've heard about Itachi?"

"Yes, he's unchained now."

"He's going to help us find Sakura."

"So I heard."

The copy ninja sighed inwardly. Sai was a stickler for following the line of a conversation without instigating much of anything, unless it was completely irrelevant. "Are you free to join us?"

Sai rubbed his headband thoughtfully. "With Itachi-Senpai?"

"Yes."

"Looking for Sakura-san?"

"Of course."

"Naruto isn't here to order me to go?" Naruto did that sort of thing, and Sai was surprised he wasn't here now. But when he thought about it, he hadn't done that for a while.

"Naruto won't come and ask you himself," Kakashi said, and Sai nodded.

"He isn't very Naruto anymore."

"No, he isn't." The copy ninja rubbed the back of his head. "So, will you come?"

"Of course," Sai said.

He may not be very good at showing his feelings, but he did have them. He had come a long way since joining Team Kakashi, but even when he'd chosen to leave them to aid his fellow ex-Root members after Danzou's death, he kept those ties in place. He was helping the ex-Root integrate themselves into the rest of the village, and had realised it would be easier to move them into the normal ANBU first – at least those Shinobi understood vaguely what the Root members had gone through. Sai saw the ANBU as the perfect balance between the proper elite ninja and being like _normal_ people, with the ability to both feel and express what they were feeling, though without the luxury of doing so most of the time.

Kakashi had been worried that Sai would think he was more needed with his ex-Root team mates, but the young man just smiled cordially.

"I will tell them it is about loyalty to friends and not just completing a mission. It will help them understand that the two aren't necessarily exclusive."

"When friends call on you, you are honour bound to respond, even if it doesn't make sense or seem terribly important," Kakashi said, quoting one of the first things Sai had told the Root members shortly after their release from Danzou's hold.

Sai nodded. "I see you were listening after all."

Kakashi chuckled. "We're leaving in tomorrow morning; I imagine the medics will have cleared Itachi for active duty soon."

"He is unwell?"

"No, I don't think so. It's just paperwork and the stubbornness of village elders, really."

"Okay, I will see you then Kakashi-Senpai."

And Kakashi left him to his training, not really wanting to overdo himself the night before the mission. Despite his own foolishness in the past when it came to trusting the wrong people, he wanted to trust Itachi; it felt good to be _his_ superior this time, unlike when they used to be on the same ANBU team.

… …

… …

Itachi arrived half an hour early, his ANBU guard hidden in shadow but as plain as day to him – with or without the Sharingan. Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki peered at him curiously from the check-in-station, but he ignored them, leaning heavily on the open gates and staring out, into the darkened forest. The personal slaves to the Hokage (that term was a running joke in Konoha, according to Kakashi) still watched him though, like they could hardly believe he was real. He had no memory of either of them from before his final mission as an ANBU captain; he wasn't a Jounin, though many argued he should've been promoted months before the massacre. But he'd held them off, knowing what was coming, and knowing it would make the coming securities more hazardous for the village if their traitor was Jounin rather than chunin. Every detail mattered.

Itachi barely reacted when that strange ex-Root arrived and greeted Izumo and Kotetsu before turning his expressionless eyes on the Uchiha. But he turned around at the unexpected arrival, following in his wake.

"Ah," she said. "I heard you were going with them."

Ino Yamanaka wasn't on this mission, and true enough, she didn't look in any condition to be jumping through trees. Itachi guessed she was about five months pregnant, maybe six. His Sharingan would be able to tell him exactly how long and he had to supress the sudden urge to check.

Sai gave a soft non-committal grunt; when he didn't otherwise comment, Itachi peered at him. He started rummaging through the bag strapped to his back, and didn't deign to acknowledge that he was being scrutinised. A few moments later, the last jinchuriki made an appearance, sparing a glare for Itachi before attempting to draw Sai or Ino into a series of loud complaints about this that and everything.

Itachi observed the artist and the Kunoichi however, noting the way they gently brushed each other every few moments as they all waited for the final arrival; his question as to who the Yamanaka was involved with was quickly answered. Curious…

Kakashi was just in time – when it mattered, he always was. He had no intention of being late for this. "All here?" He asked unnecessarily, smiling at them all. "Good, let's go."

"I wish I was going with you," Ino said, rubbing her stomach gently, but looking put out regardless.

"This is just‒"

"Yeah, yeah, I know: boys only," she said, as though she wasn't clearly pregnant.

"Men," Kakashi corrected her.

Ino snorted. "Not from where I'm standing mister." She poked Sai's chest as the others moved to leave. "Now you listen to me because I'm only going to say this once: You bring her back to me, or so help me I'll wring each and every one of your pretty little necks."

X X X

**A/N: *sighs* I love Ino. ;)  
Anyway, this wasn't as an interesting chapter as I'd originally planned, but it's just a stepping stone for next time. I know the story itself looks rather fuzzy right now, but any and all questions will be answered in time. ^_^**

**R&R.**

A quick poll:

What should Sai's nickname for Itachi be? (Yes, I am having trouble deciding on this one)


	3. Memories

Sorry for the late update: got distracted by GaaSaku month, not to mention studying REALLY hard. ;P . And because it's been awhile, I feel I need to reiterate: this story is AU. There are things that happened in canon both before and after Itachi's death that still happened here, even though here he never actually died.

Oh, and thank-you to everyone for the ideas for Sai's nickname for Itachi, but mostly to **kazster** ‒ I went with yours. Full credit to you. I absolutely loved your idea. ;) You know, while trying to decide on it, I remembered he doesn't have one for Kakashi either… he just called him Kakashi-Senpai in canon, right? I think so. Anyway, enjoy! ^_^

…

– Chapter 3 –  
.:. Memories .:.

…

_Sasuke,  
I had this trip figured out, how long it might take, where to go, and what would be needed to see its completion, but this… why is her presence so startling?  
Sasuke… did you ever know her, really? I find myself torn now, between wanting to keep her alive and strapping her down and demanding answers... painfully. There's a glint in her eyes I don't trust, a strange version of the formerly kind woman. I greeted her normally, she responded as anticipated, and nothing seemed amiss at the time. I wonder if maybe being in prison had dulled my senses. Did it do the same to you? I heard you were incarcerated for a short time in here, though shorter than my stay was, before you went truly mad.  
What went wrong?  
Itachi._

–

Maintaining the chain of command was a tricky thing, even when said chain was clear. Leaders not only had to be resilient, intelligent, and level-headed, but also attuned to the needs of their companions. While it was true that, in an ANBU squad, any hint of disrespect within the ranks was quickly remedied or punished, the normal Jounin led squads weren't quite so stringent. Itachi remembered that every squad he'd ever been on was uniform like ANBU. Apparently, that was unusual. _He_ was unusual.

So when talk began almost immediately, on how they were all looking forward to seeing Sakura so much, his first thoughts were about their lack of professionalism. Their guards weren't down, but it was still improper. He didn't partake in their reminiscing, mostly because he had nothing to add, and kept his eyes ahead, remembering his own past instead. The things he missed most…

During their ANBU days, his friendship with Kakashi began the moment they left the Hokage tower after delivering their mission report and ended the moment they arrived at said tower for a new mission, to be carried out immediately. There was a clear-cut set of rules, and he always followed them. But on the rare occasion he took the Uchiha pariah up on his invitation to hang out, Itachi decided that despite the impropriety of it all, he enjoyed Kakashi's company.

His ANBU squad was his life, so it was fitting that they were also his closest friends – outside his clan.

Itachi glanced at the copy ninja as Sai started an argument with Naruto over who had the better reconnaissance related jutsu for the mission. The man was equally silent, and perhaps hadn't changed at all on that front as well. Itachi preferred travelling with people who didn't talk so much – Kisame was actually a mixture of both, not always talking, but with a lot to say when he did.

"It's almost sundown," Kakashi interrupted Naruto's ranting – the blonde was a little louder than usual, which he guessed was due to knowing they were taking action now, to find Sakura. "We should make camp for the night."

Itachi silently complied, remembering Tsunade's warnings about the group dynamic of Team Kakashi. They were apparently also weird, even for ninja who'd been a team for years. So he watched, listened, and did as Kakashi told him, finding his thoughts drifting to the task ahead of them as everyone finally settled around the fire (it was apparently Sai's turn to cook). Tracking units from all over the five great nations had been searching for Akatsuki since the war ended, almost like ravenous dogs. Supposedly, according to Tsunade, there now was evidence that some high profile members were still alive. Sakura Haruno wasn't the only person reported K.I.A seemingly "coming back to life".

It didn't sit well with Itachi, despite the part of him that actually did recall being a part of that group, with amity (some members more than others, of course). He was missing something important, like a revealing jigsaw piece.

Dinner was… different.

As though trudging through forest and watching Naruto flailing over the edge of a cliff while Sai casually tells him he'll let him fall to his death if he doesn't calm down hadn't been bad enough, Itachi found himself having to fend off Kakashi's questions on Icha Icha. The copy ninja had to have known Itachi didn't read the volumes he'd given him. But he humoured him, responding when Kakashi talked with an underlying question, without giving anything away. He used the "I'm eating" excuse to remain as silent as possible, taking his time with his food.

But he should have known that Naruto at least, wouldn't let him get away with that.

"You still haven't given Itachi a nickname," the blonde said, cutting the former Root member off in midsentence about… whatever it was.

Sai turned to look at the Uchiha. He'd been thinking about that the whole time – everyone else was easy, but Itachi was too unknown to him. No matter how much he studied him, he couldn't _see_ him like he did with everyone else, but he'd settled on a nickname anyway. Firstly, he considered trying out different ones, seeing how they sounded, but several times during the day, he'd gone to address him in all manner of ways only to fall silent. It wasn't easy.

But Sai put on his best smile and complied with Naruto's hidden demand. He cocked his head at the Uchiha, who actually looked interested in what they were saying (first time all day). "Yes, you're a friend now‒" (Naruto's eye twitched at the implication) "‒and you look like a girl‒" (Itachi struggled not to scowl openly) "‒so your new name will be Princess."

Naruto threw his head back and laughed. His voice echoed around them, like a wave of unrelenting chakra, until Sai moved to cover his mouth (and nose). Laughing turned to giggling, and then giggling became choking. Choking convulsed and finally Naruto forcibly pushed the artist away in an effort to breathe.

"We're not in Konoha anymore, dickless," he reminded the blonde.

"Don't let him get to you," Kakashi said to Itachi, ignoring the antics of his teammates. "He does it to all of us."

Naruto let out a gasp that ended on a grunt. "Easy for _you_ to say."

The copy ninja just smiled under his mask and moved out of the circle around the fire. "I'll take the first watch."

The fire went out, Itachi settled down after being "volunteered" for the second watch, and closed his eyes.

If it were not for the Hokage, he'd be dead – not exactly something he'd ever thanked her for though. He knew that as a result of generations of inbreeding, the Uchiha genes were now tainted, and he hadn't expected to survive as long as he had. But under those battle-worn hands, he'd been given new life. No matter how intricately he'd woven the web around himself and Sasuke, some things just weren't meant to happen he supposed.

No-one could control fate, let alone the people around them.

A few hours later, he woke to Kakashi shaking him gently for his watch. But instead of going to bed, the copy ninja stayed up, pulling his Icha Paradise out and pretending he didn't need sleep. Itachi found himself more curious, as time went by, about the Kunoichi they were all out here to save. He'd planned to save Sasuke, Naruto had fought to save Sasuke, and now all of them were tracking down a lead on yet another wayward member of Team Seven.

"What do you remember about the day she disappeared?" Itachi asked Kakashi, knowing his old friend knew immediately who he was talking about.

Kakashi frowned, rubbing the material of his mask as though it was fragile, and put his book down (there was only the light of the moon to aid him, and he supposed he shouldn't strain his eye any further). "She was healing a chunin from Iwa when I arrived on the battlefield. I think Sakura had been working on him for a while though – amongst other things, the blood had dried. She's got this strange aura about her when she's so deep in concentration, even on the battlefield, that you just know the person under her chakra would be dead if any other medic was trying to heal them." He shook himself visibly and looked up at Itachi. "The girl survived and her medics took over after that. There was no sound a part from the battle, but she left the area quickly, and I lost her in the chaos and never saw her again."

"What was she doing leaving‒" Itachi started.

"When we see her again," Naruto called from his sleeping bag (without moving), interrupting them both. "You can ask her yourself."

Itachi watched him (Sai shifted, his eyes flickering over to the Uchiha, before rolling away from the dead fire). It seemed Kakashi wasn't the only one unable to sleep right now. So what was the point of "taking watch"?

…

Someone was following them. He could sense them. There was no chakra signature, just this strange feeling of eyes boring intensely into his back. Itachi relayed this to his taichou, and much to Naruto's chagrin, Kakashi took his warning seriously.

"Everyone stop," Kakashi ordered, and Naruto groaned.

He had apparently woken up on the wrong side of the nebúkuro (sleeping bag) this morning – again, they had seemingly gotten no sleep, but Itachi decided to pretend they did. They had only been travelling for an hour, and Naruto was as cranky as ever.

The blonde had his sage mode, and it took a few choice words from Sai and a direct order from Kakashi to have him reluctantly search the area. Naruto had felt this chakra somewhere before, but couldn't remember where. He nodded to Kakashi. "There's someone here."

Once they stopped, their pursuer came closer, still hidden from visual recognition; after a moment, Itachi realised suddenly who it was.

"Relax your guard," he said to his companions, and all but Naruto heeded his words, though they still looked concerned (he didn't blame them).

"Who is it?" Kakashi asked.

"You can come out now," Itachi said, his voice echoing over the area. He smiled, allowed his body language to indicate he wasn't going to attack her, and waited patiently for the former Akatsuki member to leave her hiding place.

"You haven't changed a bit," Konan said, appearing in a swirl of paper.

Naruto finally let his guard down, and Itachi actually felt slightly insulted. It would seem the jinchuriki actually trusted Konan, at least to some degree. It bothered him; where could they possibly have met? But then it occurred to him – Konan was a woman ‒ not that Naruto came off as sexist enough not to consider a Kunoichi a threat. But considering how deeply he clearly cared about his pink haired team mate, and how closely he always guarded her on the few occasions Itachi had witnessed them both in the heat of battle, it made sense that Naruto would respond more favourably to Konan than the man he blamed for Sasuke's death.

Itachi filed that away to muse on later and accepted the impromptu hug Konan was offering him. She had always been one of the kindest people he'd met, despite her affiliation with the Akatsuki. Her relationship with Nagato was the only thing tying her to the organisation, and once he was gone, Itachi wasn't surprised to hear that she'd left.

Still, he'd read the reports (as a part of the pre-trial information Tsunade had gathered in order to defend him) stating she'd been killed by Kabuto.

Konan seemed to sense his hesitance and smiled. "I'll explain everything to you Itachi, but not here, in the open."

"Explain what?" Kakashi asked.

She nodded to him. "Akatsuki is reforming under a new leader, and even with Zetsu dead, their spies are everywhere."

"Who's the new leader?"

"I don't know."

Kakashi frowned at her. "You understand that we can't trust anything you say at face value?"

"I get it copy ninja."

"Call me Kakashi."

Konan just nodded.

"Sai?" Naruto asked. "What do you think?"

"Let's backtrack to that roadside inn we saw earlier," the former Root operative said. "It had a vacancy sign and no trace of recent chakra activity."

Konan glanced at him, looking impressed, but just said, "lead the way, then."

"Did your pet rats tell you it was safe?" Naruto asked the artist, a childish, sing-song tone to his voice, referring to the fact that the former Root member always sent ink mice and/or rats to scout ahead in unfamiliar territory.

Sai fiddled with his backpack as he heeded Konan's suggestion. "No, I merely watched where I was going, unlike you."

The half hour walk back to the empty roadside, alongside the nearly empty inn, was not nearly as silent as their destination. The only ones that spoke were Naruto and Sai, but the blonde was doing enough talking for all of them. When Naruto had come to his prison cell, with Kakashi and Tsunade, he'd been withdrawn (though determined). Itachi remembered someone telling him that the last jinchuriki wasn't himself, and he could see that, but he was definitely louder than he'd expected – a shadow of his former self, but definitely cut in the image of Naruto Uzumaki.

"Are they always like that?" Konan asked, once they'd arrived, and Kakashi shrugged his shoulders.

"More before the end of the war."

The inn had no occupants other than the proprietor when they entered, for which Team Kakashi was glad. Itachi ignored the glare Naruto gave him when he suggested they stay overnight instead of heading out as soon as possible. So Kakashi spoke to the owner, and paid for two rooms; he didn't want to be overheard, so he suggested the hot springs.

"Luckily for you Kakashi-Sensei," Naruto said happily. "It's mixed bathing."

"I'm not going in the water," Konan said. Instead, she sat waterside. "I'm not here for a vacation."

Itachi did a quick surveillance jutsu on the area before sitting down next to her, and his dark orbs on the rest of his Konoha companions as he addressed his fellow, former Akatsuki member. "You said we needed privacy, and we have it. Why are you here?"

All eyes fell on Konan.

"I'm here to help you find Haruno-san," she said. She smiled at the barely concealed look of surprise on Itachi's face. "I know where she is."

Itachi highly doubted that. It couldn't possibly be this easy, could it? They'd only been on the road for twenty-four hours, and just _happened_ to run into Konan, who'd been presumed dead for months, on his first mission out of Konoha – and despite his own acceptance of his fate, _he'd_ been surprised by this new information. How could _she_ have caught on so quickly? He'd never doubted Konan's intelligence, but this bordered on clairvoyance… or some such nonsense. What were the odds she was even alive, would run into them, and have precisely the information they were searching for?

Konan watched Itachi as he took in her words – the rest of his companions were equally either stunned or calculating. She was surprised Naruto, of all people, hadn't said something loud and positive yet. But she could at least read Itachi like a book; hinted scepticism flickered over his face before he managed to hide it quickly. Of course, her story had holes, as she wasn't finished talking yet. But he was already going over her silent proposition in his head (he knew her well enough to see there was more to this than just finding Sakura Haruno – the new Akatsuki leader swam about his head).

Konan smiled at his contemplative expression; some things never changed, but it was Kakashi who called her out on it.

"So you just happened to find us in the forest, so soon after leaving Konoha?" The copy ninja asked, not holding back the suspicion in his voice. Naruto and Sai both looked at him, startled, as he continued. "I find that hard to believe."

Konan smiled. "Really? Then who did you _think_ it was that passed on the information to your Hokage that Sakura Haruno was still alive?"

…  
X X X  
…

Put your hands up if you thought that really was just a coincidence… Eh. Oh yeah, and I _do_ know what I want Sai to call Konan. I friggin love it… I'm having WAY too much fun with this. n_n There was something else I was going to say here, but I forget. Whatever. Lotsa love. ^_^

**R&R.**

A quick poll:

Who is your favourite Akatsuki member?


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